“The Black Beast” said he was loosening up as the bout progressed, but Cormier managed to finish him off before he could truly get in a groove. Lewis believes if the fight went a few minutes longer it would’ve been a different result.

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“He did what we thought he was going to do: wrestle,” Lewis told reporters, including MMAjunkie, post-fight. “Point blank. I was feeling good in the second round, throwing. Had a good movement going and (expletive), he just went for the takedown.

“Really, in the third round we thought we’d have the upper hand to really finish the fight in the third. My breathing was good, and everything was good, but we just had to wait until the third round to really turn it on.”

UFC 230 took place at Madison Square Garden. Lewis vs. Cormier headlined the pay-per-view main card following prelims on FS1 and UFC Fight Pass.

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After being the most active fighter in the UFC heavyweight division since joining the organization in 2014, Lewis has earned a hiatus from competition. He made a 28-day turnaround from his victory over Alexander Volkov at UFC 229 to take the championship opportunity against Cormier, but now he wants a break before thinking of fighting again.

“For sure (I want time off),” Lewis said. “(Expletive), hopefully I don’t have to fight no more this year then they can hit me up before the summer of next year.”